A confocal microscope for imaging tissue having an imaging head for capturing optically formed microscopic sectional images of tissue samples, a platform upon which is disposed a linear stage for moving the imaging head along a vertical dimension, and a rotary stage to rotate the linear stage and imaging head about the vertical dimension. A mounting arm couples the imaging head to the linear stage to adjust tilt of the imaging head and to rotate the imaging head about a normal axis perpendicular to an optical axis of an objective lens of the imaging head. In a first mode of operation, the imaging head is positioned to image an ex-vivo or in-vivo tissue sample upon the platform, such as ex-vivo tissue sample mounted upon a movable specimen stage, and in a second mode of operation the imaging head is positioned to image an in-vivo tissue sample beside the platform.

A base assembly includes an imaging sensor having a sensor surface to receive a sample, and a platform connected to the base assembly. The base assembly includes (a) an aperture configured to receive a lid surface of a lid in a position to define an imaging space between the sensor surface and the lid surface and (b) a movement portion movable toward and away from the base assembly. The platform and the base assembly are configured to limit contact between the sample and the base assembly other than at the sensor surface.

The invention is related to a method for measuring the height of a skin basal cell, comprising the following steps: providing a non-invasive microscopy device for shooting a picture of at least one skin basal cell of skin to be tested, including a laser source for emitting laser light with pulsed laser and an image processing element for processing image signals; converging the laser light to the skin to be tested via the image processing element and obtaining 2D images; utilizing the image processing element to stack the 2D images; labelling the first appearing 2D image of the at least one basal cell as a first layer; labelling the just disappearing 2D image of the at least one basal cell as a last layer; and multiplying the stacking number of the stacking images between the first layer and the last layer with a preset distance between two stacking images via calculation, thereby obtaining the height of the at least one basal cell for assessing of a skin pigmentation patient to be cured.

Volumetric imaging with selective volume illumination (SVI) using light field detection is provided using various systems and techniques. A volumetric imaging apparatus includes a light source configured to emit an illumination light that propagates via an illumination light path to illuminate a three-dimensional (3D) sample; and an optical system arranged with respect to the light source to receive a light field, which comes from the illuminated 3D sample. The light field propagates via a detection light path, and the light source, the optical system, or both, are configurable to perform SVI, which selects a volume of a 3D-confined illumination of the 3D sample based on the 3D sample to be illuminated and a light field detection (LFD) process to be applied. Further, the volume of the 3D-confined illumination is a selected 3D volume of the 3D sample to be particularly excited by the 3D-confined illumination for imaging.

Disclosed are a window apparatus for obtaining a microscopic image of in vivo breast tissue and a method for using the window apparatus to obtain cell-level and molecular-level microscopic images of in vivo breast tissue while maintaining the biological environment of the in vivo breast tissue. In one embodiment, a window apparatus comprises a first chamber having a ring structure with an open window on the center, and a cover glass disposed on the upper part and breast tissue placed on the lower part; a second chamber having an opening window on the center coupled to the first chamber to support the breast tissue; and a chamber holder for fixing the first and second chambers having a tilting mount placing unit with the tilting mount placed to have the cover glass and an object lens of a confocal microscope system stay parallel to each other.

An optical device may include an optical fiber having a fixed end and a free end a first actuator positioned at a actuator position between the fixed end and the free end and configured to apply a first force on the actuator position of the optical fiber such that a movement of the free end of the optical fiber in a first direction is caused, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber; and a deformable rod disposed adjacent to the optical fiber, and having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to a first rod position of the optical fiber and the second end is connected to a second rod position of the optical fiber.

Problem: To provide an observation auxiliary device that can appropriately and readily perform observation using an exciting light as a light source.

Resolution Means: Provided are an imaging unit 104 that uses a light emitted from a second beam splitter 202 of a microscope 2 that can use an exciting light and an observation light, which is a light including a wavelength other than that of the exciting light, as a light source by switching there between and is provided with the second beam splitter 202 to image images of the same observation region of the microscope 2 in situations where the exciting light and the observation light are used as the light source and an output unit 106 that overlaps, synthesizes, and outputs the images imaged by the imaging unit 104 respectively using the exciting light and the observation light as the light source.

A photoacoustic microscope objective lens unit includes: an objective lens which irradiates a sample with excitation light L; a photoacoustic wave detection unit which detects a photoacoustic wave U generated from the sample; and a photoacoustic wave guide system. The photoacoustic wave guide system includes: a photoacoustic wave separation member; and an acoustic lens that is disposed between the photoacoustic wave separation member and the sample and has a focus position that substantially matches with a focus position of the objective lens. The acoustic lens is obtained by cementing a main acoustic lens and a correction acoustic lens to each other. The main acoustic lens and the correction acoustic lens satisfy predetermined Conditional Expressions.

Described herein are apparatuses for dental scanning and components of apparatuses for dental scanning. A component of a dental scanning apparatus may include a beam splitter, a transparency and an image sensor. The component may have a first surface and a second surface. The transparency may be affixed to the first surface of the beam splitter, and may comprise a spatial pattern disposed thereon and be configured to be illuminated by a light source of the dental scanning apparatus. The image sensor may be affixed to the second surface of the beam splitter, wherein as a result of the transparency being affixed to the first surface of the beam splitter and the image sensor being affixed to the second surface of the beam splitter, the image sensor maintains a stable relative position to the spatial pattern of the transparency.

An optical device may include an optical fiber having a fixed end and a free end; a first actuator positioned at a actuator position between the fixed end and the free end and configured to apply a first force on the actuator position of the optical fiber such that a movement of the free end of the optical fiber in a first direction is caused, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber; and a deformable rod disposed adjacent to the optical fiber, and having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to a first rod position of the optical fiber and the second end is connected to a second rod position of the optical fiber.